#c. tony rydinger

[halfawitch-willow]

We'll Have Tomorrow ❁ WSoH Epilogue

After the events at the Garden Grove on Halloween night, the ragtag group make their way to Eilonwy's house to recover. There, Willow explains exactly what the hybrid plant was and how it ended up in the restricted greenhouse in the first place. As well as reveals the truth about herself and her own origins... Takes place October 31st (Nobody look at me, okay) Willow Shop of Horrors Finale and Thread List @eilonwy-notjustgirl, @foreverydinger, @edward-andalasia, @blight-magic, @winndeavor, @thegcldenguard, @darius-dues, @ianthedisastrous TW: mentions of blood, mild gore, injury, neck trauma, abusive dynamic with a plant, mentions past child abuse and bullying, triggers, Willow Has Goop Trauma ((LOOK. There are 9 characters in this thread and it's nearly 30 pages long, it took forever to wrap up. But it's done, it's here, and thank you again so much to everyone who participated and helped with this monster - heh- plot!))

WILLOW

When they made it to Eilonwy's house, Willow sort of just let herself be moved around. Winston carried her in and to the master bath at Eilonwy's directions, and Eilonwy and Amity stayed with Willow to help her clean all of the blood off and get her wounds washed and wrapped. She could feel the pixie dust getting washed away as well, and by the time she was wrapped up warm and dry in some of Laurel's old pajamas -- including a pair of tattered sweatpants that Eilonwy promised Laurel wouldn't want back, so Willow could tear open a hole in the back seam for her tail -- Willow felt almost empty. All of her strength had disappeared down the drain, right as she was about to face the hardest part.

They were going to have questions. And she was going to have to answer them.

Eilonwy and Amity helped her out to the living room, where there was a weird sort of energy amongst those who were gathered. Like they hadn't quite worked off all of the adrenaline, but now there was nothing to put it towards. The three girls made their way to the couch and the moment Willow was seated, she reached out for one of the potion bottles Hunter had placed on the coffee table. She cracked the wax seal in an easy, practiced motion and knocked half of it back before anyone could blink. The blood loss was making her head pound, and her whole body felt like one big gash.

She set her bottle down with a small sigh, before opening another bottle with the same blue liquid and gesturing to Eilonwy. "It's a Lesser Healing potion," she said, voice still rough and croaky. "It'll help with pain and any minor wounds, and there's four doses in each." Willow looked around the room. "Who else needs some?" she asked, scared of the answer. If anyone had gotten seriously injured because of her mistake, she didn't know what she'd do. 

"We probably need some glasses..."

EILONWY

It probably wasn't exactly a good thing that Eilonwy was relatively used to ignoring her body's pain signals at this point, but considering it kept coming in handy, she was the last person to complain about it. Remnants of adrenaline and sheer will got her back to the Lightfoots house where she let everyone in so they could start cleaning up Willow. 

She told Tony to raid Ian and Barley's closets for clothes for the boys and figured they would make themselves comfortable as she and Amity went up to care for Willow. She grabbed sweats of her own for herself and Amity considering they were close in size and then she focused on each step. Getting Willow clean. Getting her new clothes. Getting her downstairs. Getting food and tea into everyone. 

Her left arm and her side were pounding dully in a way that she knew she would hate later, and she didn't realize she had pulled her arm in close to rest along her side. 

As they walked in, she had to comfort herself with little touches - a hand on Hunter's arm as she walked by, a squeeze of Tony's hand, a moment of leaning against Edward - and then got Willow to the couch. The question made her jump back up again, too fixed on needing to take care of everyone else. 

"I can get some glasses." She moved back towards the kitchen and began to pull them out to carry back over, using her light to make a sort of floating tray since she didn't trust her left arm right then.

TONY

Tony had already profusely apologized to Ian, knowing that this was precisely the kind of thing that Ian hated. People he cared about running off and getting themselves in danger without him able to help. "Hey, at least I didn't actually get hurt!" Tony had hoped the sentiment would help but he wasn't entirely sure it had landed the way he wanted it to.

Willow was being cared for by others and Tony raided Barley's closet for some items (making sure to be choosy and pick dark colors in case anyone was still bleeding) before grabbing some food out of the pantry.

"I can cook some warm food too, if anyone wants," he announced as he set crisps and cookies and all manner of snacks down for people to grab. "Laurel must've just gone to the store before this so we're in luck." There was also a lot of Halloween candy still laying about but sweets and junk weren't exactly the best for everyone here.

"Any allergies?"

IAN & EDWARD

Ian hadn't taken long to get to his mom's house once he knew what was going on, and spent most of his time, post-outfit change, with Edward in tow, since the latter was unharmed, or at least already healed if he had been harmed, and helpful, with a little direction. 

Most of that had involved redirecting Edward to where things in the house were that the people who were injured needed. 

"Catch your breath and please sit down for a minute," he reminded Eilonwy in passing, because the slight flicker in her light was too familiar for Ian not to notice and she wouldn't, in fact, slow down otherwise. 

"Blazey, bed," he mumbled in passing with a scratch at the dog's ears, sending her off to her bed in the corner of the living room with Cai trailing behind while he pulled open the closet door in the hallway and handed off a stack of pillows and a few blankets off to Edward to take to the couch. 

"It's fine, don't worry about it right now," he pressed a kiss against Tony's, vaguely dusty, hair and absently untangled a leaf from it. He never won the 'stay out of trouble' conversation, with either Tony or Eilonwy, and as unsteady as he felt right then over the situation that was really a sidebar to the bigger problems right then. 

He wanted to suggest Tony sit down too, but didn't, he wasn't injured and cooking would, hopefully, calm some of it. 

"Okay, mom isn't going to be here for a while," Ian returned to the living room, glancing at the collective group of misery occupying the couch and surrounding area, "but Edward's-" where was Edward? Ian glanced around, spotting him in the kitchen getting bottles of water for people, right, okay, "has the first aid kit, mom has an Arcadian first aid kit too if you need more than your potions." 

Otherwise, most of it was just damage control, wasn't it, and giving everyone a chance to relax after...well, Ian still didn't know what had happened but he figured he'd ask later.

AMITY

"I don't need any," Amity said quickly when the offer came. She gently nudged the potion back toward Willow. "You can have my share."

She wasn't without injury, persay-- but the worst of Amity's pain was all internal. Her own shame, her own guilt gnawing away, like a splinter embedded deep within the skin. She couldn't help but think about the ways she could have prevented this if she had just been fucking smarter. She hadn't seen the danger in the hybrid. She hadn't realized how much pain and fear Willow was still holding inside. Or maybe...she hadn't wanted to see it, because she knew so much of it had been Amity's doing. She still hadn't made up for it. Would she ever? 

She probably should have just gone back to the dorms. 

But Amity was selfish, and worried, and couldn't leave Willow alone (not again.) And so she'd gone with her, along with Eilonwy and the rest. Though she knew she was a stranger in this house-- not part of the family like Eilonwy or Tony or even Edward-- she stayed planted next to Willow's side. She'd stay quiet, nearly invisible if she could manage it. Only there for Willow.

WILLOW

Willow shook her head, and the moment Eilonwy came back with the glasses, she gently tugged the other girl down to sit with them on the couch and set the glasses down herself. "Both of you need some," she whispered, trying to ignore the shaking in her own arms as she tried to pour out some of the potion into the glasses. Winston quickly came over to help hold her hands steady, and she gave him a tiny, grateful smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

Winston helped passed the two glasses to the girls while Willow picked up her own bottle and curled up on the couch between them, her tail curling around her feet. "Papa still makes it with scaberry extract," she told Amity, "so the taste isn't as bad as they normally are." There were still two glasses on the table for anyone who needed some, and a few more unopened bottles besides.

She took another sip of her own bottle and leaned against Amity's side, hoping that she'd at least have a little more time for the potion to work on her throat before she had to start talking in earnest. She'd gotten a look at herself in the mirror earlier and the bruising was... gruesome, so say the least. Some of it still peaked out over her bandages.

HUNTER

"I'm fine," Hunter said reflexively.

Hunter was fine. He was always fine. That was his job, right? To be fine, to wear the helm of the Golden Guard with his head held high? He was fine. He had some bruises, but nothing serious. He'd had far worse scrapes. He wasn't about to let anyone see him as anything less than capable. 

(His heart wouldn't stop racing. He didn't know why. He couldn't get it to stop.)

Not for the first time, he felt like maybe he shouldn't be here. He didn't belong here. He barely belonged here. 

He stood at a distance, back pressed against the wall, watching everyone. His eyes flickered to Amity and Willow on the couch, and he wondered what his life might've been like if he'd gone to school with them. He dismissed that thought quickly, and shifted his weight from one foot to another, wincing slightly. Perhaps he'd sprained something, or just got a bad bruise, but he could take care of that later.

DARIUS

Well, it's not like he'd been doing anything else for Halloween. He'd gotten dressed up, as per the custom, but wasn't planning on participating in any other significant way. No, he was just planning for a night in, looking fabulous, grading mediocre papers.

And then he got a text.

First, was the arduous task of decoding what was either a ciphered message or just a slew of typos. He managed to get as far as "Garden Grove", heading over there to try and assess the situation. What he found was...concerning to say the least. The fact that there was no Hunter, along with nobody else, was doubly concerning. Then it was another stretch of time of doubling back, asking around, and tracking, before he finally found the abode he was fairly certain was housing the young Golden Guard, along with anyone else who got caught up in this unfortunate scenario.

He ascended the porch stairs two at a time before knocking, sharply. He didn't bother waiting for an answer before knocking again and calling in, "Hunter?" It wasn't often he used his name outright, but this seemed like a situation that called for it.

When someone finally bothered to open the door, he looked to them before over their shoulder. "Is everyone alright?"

WILLOW

Willow wanted to protest -- no one who ever said they were 'fine' was actually 'fine', Willow would know -- and try to get Hunter to come to the couch and take a dose. If he even wanted to be near her. He hadn't said a word to her until that short reply, and Willow knew it wasn't the potions that made her feel squirmy and sick and guilty.

The knock at the door interrupted her before she could even begin to speak, and Willow quirked her head curiously until the familiar voice called for Hunter and she went deathly pale. Horror splashed across her features and Willow grabbed the sleeve of Eilonwy's shirt in a death grip as she sunk further against Amity's side. Praying to a distant Titan that Head Witch Daemonne wouldn't notice her. She was trembling like a leaf, and the few house plants in the Lightfoot's living room -- who had gone quiet after Willow had ignored their attempts to sooth her -- started to writhe and fluff up defensively.

EILONWY

Eilonwy was concerned. She couldn't leave Willow, not with the way the girl was pressed up against her, but she didn't like Hunter being so far away and sounding so distant either. She looked towards Edward and tilted her head towards Hunter, hoping he would be able to go over and bring him in closer so they could see if he was really all right. Amity at least she was planning to just shove the potion down her throat if she had to (she was better at enforcing care for other people than herself.)

But the knock had her head whipping around towards the door as she began to reach for one of the glasses. The name had her looking back towards Hunter, and she was about to say something as Ian pulled the door open when she felt Willow gripping her tightly. 

In the corner of the room, Cai came to attention at the same time she did, motes of light rushing towards her as little bits began to spark again along her hair. She didn't know who this man was, but Willow was scared. That's all she needed to know. 

"Stay back," she barked at the stranger. Yes, she was in pajamas with her sore arm curled against her side, but that didn't change the steel in her tone as she glared at him. "Who are you and what do you think you're doing here?" She hadn't directed her light - yet - but she was ready to shove him bodily back out the door if she didn't get answers soon.

TONY

Tony started toward the kitchen, beginning simple things like mac & cheese or some soup that was sat frozen in Laurel's freezer. Easy and warm, Tony could handle making a spread that would feed this motley crew. It helped with his own nerves to get away from the rest for a moment, to focus on a task once again.

Ian would handle things in the living room, this was his home after all, and Tony doubted that anyone here would be reckless enough to leave when they had only just arrived.

He heard the sound of a door opening, an unfamiliar voice following that, and finally Eilonwy's demand filling the air. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as he tried to listen in, still standing at the stove.

IAN & EDWARD

With all the motion in the house Edward had opted to remain in the living room after seeing to what all needed to be gathered. And while Willow had a cluster of attention at the time looking after her his gaze quickly searched everyone else, who by the large looked well enough, except Hunter, unsteady on his feet. 

"Perhaps you should sit," Edward coaxed, gentle in his approach given how tense Hunter was, lifting a hand slowly to the other's arm to, hopefully, ground him a bit. "Are you alright, I think-" his words were cut short by that knock, and moreso Hunter's name and the sudden shift in the mood in the room, his gaze instinctively drawn to the door with a step between that direction and Hunter, just in case, given Willow's reaction and Eilonwy's outburst. 

Ian, already at the door, stood there, what was initially a passive expression thinking this was simply another person involved in the situation quickly shifted to scrutiny of the brightly-costumed individual standing there. He didn't know exactly what all was going on but he wasn't too eager to let anyone inside until he knew why everyone was so upset over the newcomer. 

"I really think that's a valid question right now." Ian regarded the stranger evenly, remaining in the doorway for the moment; nearly half the people in the house were already injured, he wasn't taking a chance on letting just anyone through that door. Which was why his hand twitched faintly, easily overlooked but a pointed gesture, while he waited for an answer.

AMITY

Titan's tit-- "Darius Deamonne?!" exclaimed Amity from inside the house. 

But how? No, that was a dumb question. Why? Was it the same reason that Hunter Belos was now in Swynlake? What about Lilith Clawthorne? Dread, as cold as ice, washed through Amity. Once, Darius would have been one of the sorcerers that she'd want to impress but now all the Emperor's crows were flocking to Swynlake, one by one, and there had to be a reason.

Naturally, Amity's paranoid brain thought first of Odalia.

But Odalia and Darius Deamonne fucking hated each other. 

Whatever-- first, Amity had to deal with the fact she'd just blurted his name and now everyone had looked at her. "He's-- he's the head of the Abomination Coven," she said, feeling her cheeks colour. "I have no idea why he's there though."

DARIUS

Alright, he'd clearly stepped into something here. Hunter had barely given any information in his poorly composed text, so he'd not been expecting such a large crowd to be waiting for him, not to mention waiting to pounce.

He put his hands up innocently to show he meant no harm. Luckily, he didn't need to introduce himself, as it seemed to be done for him. "Thank you, Ms. Blight," he said, nodding in her direction.

"I was summoned with a message warning of a "minor disaster"," he said, air quotes and all. "I'm merely here to make sure everyone is alright. Help heal any injuries. Subdue any threats. Though it seems that's been taken care of, if the state of the Garden Grove is any indication..."

His eyes flickered between all of the children, taking stock of their injuries and general state. His gaze settled on both Willow and Hunter for a bit too long before he looked to the only other adult in the room. "Is this your home? I don't mean to say you don't have the situation handled, but I'd like to help, if at all possible. Some of these children are under my care," he explained, despite none of the children referenced knowing that.

HUNTER

In this time, Hunter had forgotten that he’d texted Darius. 

It had been in a panic. There had been no other adult that he felt could handle this caliber of magical disaster. Mistress Clawthorne resented him, after all. He did not know the other sorcerers in town. So, Darius it was.

But he shouldn't have had to ask anyone at all! He should’ve been able to handle this, a simple plant!

Now, Darius was here and Hunter was embarrassed, but he had to save face.

“Darius!” It came out like a squeak. He cleared his throat. “I mean. Master Deamonne. Welcome! I, uh, texted him.” This was for the benefit of everyone else in the room. “On the way to the Grove, before we knew the extent of the damage.”

He turned back to Darius. “But, as you can see, we are all in one piece, albeit a little battered, so we clearly handled everything and you can definitely not mention this in any reports you might be giving.” 

He swung his arm jauntily, the visor of his helmet falling on his face as he did so. Quickly, Hunter scrambled to shove it back up, before his breathing started quickening again and he flashed an all-too-bright smile to indicate just how well he was handling this situation!

WILLOW

Willow had watched everyone react to Darius with the stunned, horrified silence of someone watching a train wreck. How the fuck had she managed to drag them all to this exact moment of time!? It was a nightmare. 

She bit back a squeak when Darius looked her over, wanting to disappear, but he glanced away quickly to look at Winston who was already shaking his head and gesturing instead to an annoyed-looking Eilonwy. Before that situation could devolve any further, Hunter jumped into the conversation.

Her heart jumped to her throat when it started to sound like Hunter might get in trouble for texting Darius. To save her pathetic ass from a monster of her own creation. Hunter looked like his face was about to crack from the force of his smile, and Willow was scrambling to lean over the back of the couch before her brain could catch up.

"It was my fault!" she croaked, voice wrecked and eyes wide and scared. "I'm the one who made the plants go crazy at the Grove. They just came to help bail me out when I lost control. They saved my life, please just-" Willow was horrified and embarrassed to find more tears trailing down her cheeks.

"Please don't report this, o-or tell my dads," she begged. "They don't know."

EILONWY

It appeared at least a few people in this room knew who this man was, and Hunter apparently trusted him enough to text him for help, so she would have to take that as a recommendation. Even if he did call them 'children'. 

Although she didn't care for the sound of reports one bit.

As Willow began to cry again, Eilonwy reached out to wrap an arm around Willow's shoulders from where she was standing, expanding the light around her so it provided a gentle warmth and pressure on the other girl. 

"This is my home. You are welcome inside," for now. "Willow had already gathered some healing potions that everyone will be taking," she gave both Amity and Hunter mild glares at that because she knew they had a tendency to downplay things, "and then if you feel up for it Willow, you can tell us what happened with the plants. But only if you want to." 

She turned to look back at him. "As you said, the issue at the Grove has been handled. Which means I'm assuming the reports in question won't be an issue." She raised one eyebrow, assuming he would get the message. 

Or Ian could still kick him out of the house pretty easily she was sure. Head Witch or no.

DARIUS

Oh boy. There was a lot happening here. He watched Hunter and opened his mouth to reply before he was cut off by Willow's cries and the blonde's remarks. His lips tightened in annoyance but he took a deep breath before replying calmly.

"Nobody needs to worry about any reports. It wasn't even in the question." He did not, however, make any mention of Willow's fathers. To promise that he wouldn't tell them in this instance seemed… irresponsible at best. At least, until he learned more about the situation.

Still, he was granted entry, so that was something. He stepped inside, the heels of his boots clicking against the floor. "Now, I have the capabilities to deal with any cuts, open wounds, sores, lesions, or damage directly to the skin, if needed. Don't be humble, I didn't come here to just stand around and look pretty."

WILLOW

Willow leaned a little into Eilonwy's embrace, being sure not to put too much pressure on her ribs and tried to wipe her cheeks dry. If she had been in her right mind, she would have caught how Darius had dodged the topic of her dads, but the relief from his reassurance was so great Willow visibly relaxed.

At Darius's offer, Willow looked around the room to check everyone. She knew, objectively, that her injuries were the worst - her blood loss hadn't made her that fuzzy. Hunter's armor meant she couldn't get a good look at him -- and wow, it was weird seeing him in the armor she knew so well from watching the news with her dads -- but everyone else was mostly in pajamas and costumes now, so she felt pretty confident she was the only one at risk of bleeding out any time soon.

"I think the three of us need the most help," she admitted softly, gesturing to Amity and Eilonwy. Hunter was still breathing kind of fast, and after a moment of hesitation, Willow held out her bandaged hand towards him in invitation.

"Come get some healing potion, Lony's orders," she said softly, voice almost a coarse whisper. "Sit with us, please?"

HUNTER

Hunter was fine.

He was fine.

Darius was here and he was fine. 

Everyone was looking at him now. 

He took a deep breath.

There were no reports, Darius said. Eilonwy said he should drink a healing potion. Willow agreed. Hunter didn’t want to do that, because he never liked the taste of healing potions. Not that the flavor itself was bad, but because the feeling down his throat was a reminder of —

What was it a reminder of?

Hunter couldn’t remember. His head was fuzzy. He was tired. He wanted to slump down on his knees and lean his head on someone’s chest.

He didn’t do that, of course. He shuffled forward slightly and took a hesitant seat on the edge of the couch.

“Pass the potion,” he said, holding out a hand.

DARIUS

Darius kept an eye on Hunter as he moved over, recognizing the nauseous look on his face. The kid was more wound up than Adrian's hair piece (on a good day) and he was fairly certain that a single mishap at this stage would completely unravel him. So he merely needed to keep things calm.

Looking over the three indicated ladies, he nodded. "Right. Before we begin, I want to preface by saying this is a perfectly sanitized procedure and there are no untoward side effects." With that explanation out of the way, he raised his gloved hands, and from underneath his cape, a stream of purple ooze shot out, suspended in midair before splitting between the three. It hovered before spreading and wrapping around the scratches and cuts, stopping any bleeding and healing the skin. Unfortunately, any internal injuries and pain would remain.

For Eilonwy and Amity, the process would be fairly quick. Willow's wounds were much more prominent and numerous, so he moved closer to her to keep an eye on the process. One cut at a time. He looked among the others. "So. Does anyone want to give a more detailed account of what happened?"

AMITY

Amity didn't want to take the potion either. She actually-- didn't want to be here at all. Now that Darius had arrived, she felt on edge. Her eyes kept darting to the door. She had this weird feeling like, somehow, she was betraying Alador by just being in the same room as him. Which made no sense of course. In fact, if she could talk to her dad (which she couldn't), he'd probably laugh at her for the thought. I haven’t even thought of Darius in years.

Still, he was a reminder of Amity's father. And the Boiling Isles. And her own magic. 

Her hands were still sticky with golem, which helped dull the pain from the burns on her palms, and up her arm. Titan's blood, she wanted to leave. 

But it was Willow's soft, croaking voice that kept her from bolting like a stray, injured cat. Carefully, without even saying a word, she moved with Hunter over to the couch, then sat down. She waited until the potion was passed and she took a swig from it obediently. 

Then her eyes tracked back to Darius. She glanced at Willow and leaned in. "What do you want to tell him?" she murmured. It was so inconvenient that he had showed up here so quickly... it would have been better for all of them to get their story straight. 

WILLOW

Willow let out a tiny sigh of relief as Amity and Hunter both sat on the couch, and she quickly -- or, well, as quickly as she could move -- poured them both doses of the healing potion. She looked up at Darius curiously as he approached, leaning in towards Amity to hear her whisper better. But before she could formulate an answer, or even open her mouth, Darius raised his hands and Willow watched in horror as abomination clay swam through the air and wrapped around her neck, arms, and legs.

She hadn't realized this was what he meant. Stupid half-wit.

Willow went stiff as a corpse, her head tilted back as she tried not to scream at the feeling of goop on her skin. She couldn't even feel relief from her wounds being treated, there was just the scent of clay and rot crowding out her thoughts. Her tail lashed out and twitched wildly until she grabbed it and held it down in her lap, trembling. She breathed in and out carefully. In for four beats. Out for four beats. Try not to cry.

This wasn't Hexside. This wasn't the Boiling Isles. She was fine. She could breathe.

In, two, three, four. Out, two, three, four.

EILONWY

As Hunter sat on the couch, Eilonwy passed him the potion, passing one to Amity as well so that they would both take a sip and hopefully feel better. She couldn't be sure exactly how injured either of them were, but this was one thing she could do to help. 

This also finally brought Hunter close enough to her that she could slide her hand in his and hold it tightly, ignoring the way her sore arm throbbed in that moment, trying to pull him a little bit closer to her. She wanted her people close until she was sure they were okay, and there was only so much she could do. 

Once again, she was reaching for the potion with her free hand to take a swig when she paused as the swirling purple ooze shot through the air. Her light pulsed for a moment reflexively and she had to bite her lip to stop it from expanding outward. 

Until Willow reacted. 

"Stop it! Stop it right now!" Ignoring the potion (again), she reached out to try and lay a hand on Willow. She didn't even realize that she was getting warmer, the ooze that had wrapped around her own wrist beginning to dry out slightly as the light gathered more intensely around her.

WILLOW

"It's fine," Willow said, voice cracked and shaky. "I trust him. J-just don't get any near my face."

She was tapping out counts of four on her lap, lips pressed firmly together as she tried to tough it out. He was helping her. This was meant to heal. She could breathe.

TONY

Tony listened quietly through this Darius’ entrance and introduction, allowing those close to the door to react even as his muscles clenched in anticipation of another fight breaking out. Instead of saying anything he used that feeling, that anxiety, to finish making the mac and cheese and the soup so that he brought it out into the living room with a slight clearing of his throat so as not to startle anyone (especially Darius who was using abomination magic around the injured???).

“Hot food’s ready,” he murmured, eyeing up the stranger. Tony had only begun to trust sorcery and what was happening to Willow certainly didn’t ease any of that suspicion. “I know you’re taking potions but.. eating helps. If not immediately for your wounds it’ll still help settle your nerves.” He set the tray of bowls, forks, and spoons down on the table.

He hesitated there, unsure if he should join Ian at the door or try to take a seat near those on the couch as well. Tony ultimately decided on the former both because he wanted to be near his boyfriend and because most of the people on the couch weren’t people he knew how to comfort, how to help. They probably wouldn’t even want it aside from Eilonwy.

“So this is a total shitshow, huh?” He whispered to Ian as quietly as he could.

IAN & EDWARD

Ian's lips were drawn to a thin line, he couldn't say he liked anything that was going on in that room. It was Eilonwy’s home, it was his home, and Tony’s, and as far as Ian viewed the situation that extended to the people there he barely knew but clearly needed it to be that evening. He couldn't imagine his mom would mind that, although she might have had a few interesting words for the stranger who wandered in and set everything, and nearly everyone, off. 

She wasn't there, and Eilonwy was fueled by her own anxious, angry energy right then, which left Ian shutting the door and keeping a scrutinizing eye on the man, cautious. He was going to assume, for the moment, he was trying to help. 

But that magic didn't do much to settle Ian's opinion on the matter and he bristled, fingers twitching, at that repulsive outburst of intrusive sludge. 

He glanced to Tony in silent agreement, but his attention didn't sway far from Darius.

Even Edward was uncomfortable, although, already healed from his injuries, he was skirting the edge of the room. Ian noted the reflex, the way his hand dropped to where his sword would have been had he had it with him, at Eilonwy's sharp words. 

He waited, equally perplexed and unsettled by the display, pushing that aside until whatever was going to be accomplished by it had, before speaking. "I think everyone would be more comfortable if you stepped back a little," he addressed Darius, the lingering tension on that couch was obvious even without his natural sensitivity to the presence of people. And a few steps was breathing room, that wasn't unreasonable.

AMITY

Amity glanced toward Willow and instantly felt terrible-- remembering how she'd gone to her in the shop, covered in golem, and hadn't thought twice. She'd just wanted to make sure her friend was okay. She just wanted to hold her. She just wanted...

Amity looked away again, feeling shame crawling up and down her spine. It sucked that this thing that Willow hated the thing that made Amity... Amity. (Didn't it? She had a weird relationship with abomination magic this day. But at the same time, it was the only magic she knew. It felt impossible to separate that magic from who she was as a person.)

She didn't say anything, just looked back at Darius. Her gaze was guarded, bordering on hostile. If he tried anything else without a proper warning first, at least she could, maybe, stop him.

WINSTON

Winston didn't know what to do, felt like he was at a loss. The only other adult in the room and, unlike the shorter man, one who had neither magic nor the know-how to fix any of it. So, he did the best he could to comfort, to hunt for things that could make the kids feel better - blankets, warm drinks from the kitchen, help Tony get the food - anything to feel useful. 

He, to be quite honest, doesn't even notice when the children start to protest at Darius's actions. He's in the kitchen, leaving a voicemail for his office to let them know he'd not be in for a day or two. 

At the...purple goop that was meant to help, meant to heal Willow, however, he has to put his foot down. There's terror there, true terror, but before he can, Willow tells them its okay, just don't go near his face. 

Winston still didn't like it. 

"That's enough," he says, voice calm, but quiet, firm, and gaze unwavering from Darius. "You're trying to help. I understand that but they've...they've been through a lot tonight. Give them space, please. Willow," he says, no longer addressing the other adult but gaze never leaving him. "You're okay, darling. Breathe. He's done."

HUNTER

Suddenly, Hunter felt defensive of Darius.

He wasn't sure what came over him. But everyone bristled, ready to lunge at Darius, all on the defense, and Hunter just felt -- well, he'd been the one to call Darius, hadn't he? 

Hunter cleared his throat.

"He's just trying to help," he said. His fingers tightened around the health potion, and he could still taste it on his lips. He gulped, feeling eyes on him, and trying to look anywhere besides Darius. "I'm the one who called him, and I didn't do it on a whim; I did it because we needed someone who's dealt with magical incidents at the level. Or, I thought."

And then, because he still felt like this was his fault -- Willow's outburst, the sudden metaphorical daggers thrown at Darius -- 

"I'm sorry. If you have any issues with him, direct them to me."

DARIUS

Darius was attempting to focus on the task at hand. After all, healing through abomination magic was not a widely practiced technique, as one needed a deft hand to keep control while speeding up the body's natural processes. 

He didn't notice Willow's panic at first, only the first voice calling out at him to stop. Then step back. Give them space. All of these commands and distrusting looks being hurled at him while he was trying to concentrate.

Before he could speak however, Hunter did first. He didn't look away from his work but the words settled upon him, upon everyone, leaving a blessed silence that allowed him to finish what he started. Pulling his hands back, all of the ooze pulled off of Willow, coalescing over his palms.

"Thank you, Hunter. That should be enough. I could be doing more," he said pointedly, "but clearly some space is required." With that, he took a few steps back. Another faint glow came from beneath the gloves as the ooze, now streaked with dried blood, began to spin rapidly, seemingly cleaning itself.

"You'll likely need supplementary healing in the coming days, but at the very least, all of your wounds have closed and there should be no more bleeding."

WILLOW

The moment the abomination ooze pulled off of her, Willow slumped like a puppet that had all of its strings cut and curled into herself. Her arms wrapped around her stomach tightly as she breathed through her mouth, forehead pressed to her knees. 

This, more than anything, made her feel exposed. Weak. She felt like Willow the Half-Witch. Willow the Mudbreather. Weeping Willow. All of the false-courage she'd gathered over the months fled and left her trembling.

It was the press of Amity's knee against hers and Eilonwy's flickering light at the corner of her eye that made her reach out and snap her courage back up before it could disappear completely, dragging it back by the metaphorical tail.

She took a deep breath, let it out, then slowly uncurled until she was upright again. "Thank you," she said softly, voice a little raw and shaky. "I feel better now. I'm sorry I freaked out, I should have understood what you meant to do and prepared myself better. I apologize for worrying everyone."

It was almost clinical, and she knew she sounded like she had when she was sat in front of Principal Bump's desk, coughing up abomination slime her teacher had shoved over her mouth when she failed to make her own lump of clay so much as twitch.

Willow was still hugging herself tightly, mostly to hide the way her arms were still shaking. "I'll answer any questions you have, now," she said, meeting Darius's eyes but speaking to the whole room. "The best I can, at least."

EILONWY

Eilonwy could feel the clawing edges of her temper wanting to break free. She wanted to let the light go, wanted to shove Darius back until he was far away, the rest of them safe inside a shield of her own making until Hunter stopped shaking and Willow could breathe and Amity relaxed and she felt like she had the space to let everyone calm down in their own way. She didn't. But the temptation was there. 

She was still running hot enough that the abomination clay couldn't fully settle against her, cuts closed but only barely so it wouldn't take much to open again by the time it was pulled away. 

Darius's comment made her want to snap back at him that next time he should know to explain what he was doing before using unfamiliar magic around people. But Hunter's own defensiveness and his defense of Darius had her swallowing those words back as well. (Darius could probably read the sharp glare in her expression.)

But Willow was still the priority, and she gently rubbed her hand along Willow's back to try and provide a little bit of comfort. 

It meant that even with the way she had to swallow back the temper that burned just under the surface, her voice was gentle as she said. "It's all right. Can you tell us about the plant? It seemed to care about you." Even as it was killing her, but that wasn't that strange to Eilonwy.

WILLOW

It did care about me, Willow wanted to say, and another rush of grief came over her. All those plants in the greenhouse, all gone because of her stupidity.

"It was a hybrid," Willow started, "between the Whisperers and Vampire Roses we kept in the restricted greenhouse. We keep all the more dangerous magical flowers back there, and I was in charge of them while Flower was away." Because I'm a Garden Talent, she added mentally, but couldn't bring herself to say aloud. Despite knowing she would have to.

"We usually take precautions to keep them from hybridizing, but I... I cut my hand on the watering can, and it got in the Whisperer's bed. I came back the next morning and it was there. And then it started talking. It wasn't violent or anything like that," she defended weakly, "at least not at the beginning. By the time it got bad enough for me to notice, it was too late."

TONY

Tony Rydinger had grown a lot in the decades but mainly over the last few years. One of those growing pains was learning to trust magic, particularly sorcery. He had been a Mundus and the curse had wrapped around him in ways he had had no ability to fight and he had seen time and time again how magic could cut people deeply. Especially those he cared about. 

Willow was now one of those people.

He bit his tongue for most of the conversation but as Willow explained what had happened with the plant he grew restless, a sort of twitchiness seeping into his bones that he couldn’t quite contain. Composure be damned, he was scared.

“So it started… feeding off you?” He didn’t know much about magical plants, only that the name ‘Vampire Rose’ gave a particular conversation and he’d seen the way the hybrid had clung and cut into Willow

“Willow, I don’t know if you should go back to the greenhouse for awhile.” Or ever. “Though we should probably call Flower…”

IAN & EDWARD

Edward had made his way steadily closer to the couch, the entire bounce back and forth of the conversation and the tension drew him to the obvious action; making certain he was closer to the people who were injured, just in case. 

He remained silent, most of the questions that crossed his mind were answered without his voicing them, but he wasn't comfortable. There really wasn't any way to be right then, so he settled for lingering at the side of the couch since he couldn't do much else. 

Ian was listening, he didn't know most of the people in the room more than in passing, but there were a lot of things he could see weren't being said; between Hunter, Darius, Willow, Amity. 

He decided not to focus on that. 

Magic flowers and bloodthirsty plants probably weren't as outlandish as they might have been elsewhere, but he still felt uneasy hearing the bits and pieces of that story. 

"At least not for now," he added to Tony's suggestion; he'd have to text his mom anyway so she didn't walk into the situation unaware when she got home, but she wasn't going to bat an eye at how occupied the house was. "Everyone looks exhausted and I don't know everything that's going on, but if nobody is in immediate danger it's better to just stay put and rest some." He reasoned, although he still wasn’t sure about Darius, given the push of his efforts, but he was less suspicious than he was cautious. 

Ian nodded to the mention of Flower, acutely aware of how tense Tony had gotten as the conversation had continued, and stepped away from the door to give him a little nudge, grabbing his hand an instant before he called Blazey over from where she was pacing at the scent of that strange magic.

WILLOW

"There's nothing left in the greenhouse anyways," Willow said quietly. "I-" she choked on her tongue, tears welling up in her eyes. "Sorry," she murmured, wiping them quickly. 

"It wasn't feeding on my blood until the end, we have bloodmeal for the Vampire Roses that was working. It... The roots went deep. I could feel it at the end, it was pulling magic from the ground and-"

Willow clasped her hands together tightly, watching them tremble in her lap. "And from me," she said softly. "I've... I was sleeping in the greenhouse a few nights a week. I think that's why it got so attached." Her tail curled into her lap and Willow held it tightly, like a child clinging to their teddy bear. "When I... I was getting ready for the party, a-and I got nervous, and it didn't want me to go where it didn't know I'd be safe. It freaked out and- and that's when I called Eilonwy."

Willow looked to the group. "I'm so sorry I put you all in danger like that," she said wetly, tears rolling down her pale cheeks. "I can't repay what you did for me, but I'll try to be deserving of it."

EILONWY

Eilonwy remembered the feeling of dry dust swirling in the air as she picked up her stolen sword and was sure that was true. The devastation they'd left behind would be a conversation for another day.

For now, it was more important to stay focused on Willow, on making sure she was steady. 

"Hey, you did exactly right. I'm glad you called me and that we could be there for you. You don't have to do anything to deserve it - we're your friends. That's what we're here for." 

What was a little life threatening danger between friends after all? This was Swynlake. They were lucky that no one had died this time around, and they were already sitting together afterward. That was what mattered more to her. She wanted to be the person that people called for help and knew that she would come. 

She wanted to ask about the pixie dust, but she couldn't help glancing towards Darius, not sure if that was the kind of thing he should know.

DARIUS

Darius didn't realize the full extent of Willow's panic until he finally pulled away, his lips twitching into a frown as he watched her curl in on herself. He didn't understand what had necessarily caused the reaction--after all, he knew Willow had taken abomination courses at Hexside. However, he also knew from her parents that her experience at the school had not been the most pleasant.

"You're fine," he replied simply. "I will be more communicative in the future."

From there on, he hung back but listened carefully, taking in every detail and trying to fit the puzzle together. Unfortunately, elemental magic was not his forte. And he certainly wasn't going to approach Head Witch Terra Snapdragon of all people to fill in the blanks. He'd rather let the "Vampire Roses" have their way with him.

But finally, he did ask, "Is this your first time discovering a natural talent in earth magic?" After all, this was the first he was hearing of it. But you would have to have a certain level of specialty in order to bring life--a seemingly sentient life--to something like that.

WILLOW

Willow almost burst out laughing.

It was the exact same thing Amity had suggested, back in August after they faced the fear demon. It was the obvious answer, and the easiest. To have an earth specialty, like her Dad. But no, nothing was ever that easy for her.

"Not... not quite," Willow said softly. Instinctively, she reached out towards Amity, bumping her fingers against the other girl's thigh and breathing a little easier when her thin fingers laced inbetween her own. "I, um. I discovered recently that the information my fathers were given about my birth parents wasn't... entirely accurate." She took a deep breath. 

"I was born on the Boiling Isles, but only one of my birth parents was a sorcerer," Willow said, voice trembling. With her free hand, she tucked her curls back and behind one pointed ear. "The other one was a fairy. I have a Garden Talent."

TONY

"Never apologize for what happened," Tony added to Eilonwy's sentiment. He didn't want Willow to think that she'd done anything wrong by asking for help. He stepped forward slightly, not fully leaving Ian's side but enough that he felt a little better about the distance. "You needed us and now you're going to be okay. That's all that matters here, Willow."

Knowing that Willow was a mixture of sorcery and fairy magic caused Tony to send Ian a sidelong glance. It wasn't quite the same, of course, but he knew that if anyone could understand what Willow was going through it would be Ian. Being a mixture of two seemingly opposing sides that caused one's magic to act strangely to both halves. "Once again I'm the most boring member of the group," Tony joked quietly, not even sure anyone but Ian would hear him.

Now he was sure she would be okay.

"Now if you people don't start eating food and drink your healing potions I'm gonna actually have an aneurysm. Forget monster flowers, that'll be what does me in."

WILLOW

Willow looked up at Tony with wet eyes and after a moment, gave him a small giggle and a smile. Then more giggles came, that turned into gasps, until Willow was stifling little sobs into her palms, trying to catch her tears with her fingers. Her tail coiled tightly to her knee and Willow wanted nothing more than to curl up in a little ball on the couch. It felt like she was a dam that had cracked and fissured finally starting to crumble. The pressure was agonizing, and though she knew (hoped) she'd feel better once the wall came down, the weight of it all threatened to crush her first.

"I-I'm sorry," she whimpered. "I shouldn't have lied, I just- I was an awful sorcerer, and I thought maybe I could be an okay Mundus." She laughed, wet and tinged with almost-hysteria. "I was pretty awful at that too, huh?" 

She was clearly a terrible fairy as well. It had never been an issue of her magic, it was just Willow. The half-a-witch Mudbreather who was destined for failure.

TONY

Tony winked at Willow when she started to giggle but blanched slightly as she started to sob. It hadn't been his intention by any means to make her cry but the dam had to burst at some point. It wasn't sustainable to hold everything together with white knuckles and trembling fists, as he knew all too well. There were times that you couldn't be perfect, couldn't keep the pieces together all alone.

Tony crossed the room to kneel in front of Willow, ignoring everyone else in the room then. "You lied to protect yourself, that's nothing to be ashamed of. Sometimes there are no perfect solutions, sometimes lying's all we've got, but you're going to be okay."

He reached a hand up to squeeze her knee, a saddened smile gracing his features. He wasn't the best with advice but he knew that feeling, knew how much of a vice grip telling lies and half-truths could have. He'd done it for over half a century both willfully and not.

"You weren't awful, Willow. You just weren't doing what you're gonna be best at. We'll get this all figured out."

IAN & EDWARD

There was a little too much familiarity in that story to be comfortable, Ian noted, which was all the more reason he felt like he needed to listen. He didn't know Willow, not nearly enough to understand how to comfort her yet as well as he would have liked to, people weren't the same in needs like that, she had a bubble of people who did know her there around her. But there was a part that, best intentions and all, they didn't understand entirely. 

"You're not an awful sorcerer," Ian ventured, leaving the door, Blazey taking that as the signal to cross the floor and sit herself down right next to Tony, big brown eyes on Willow waiting very patiently in case she was needed there, resting her nose on the edge of the couch just within reach. 

"Or an awful anything, really, you're just something a little different and it's hard to piece that together right at first," he offered a smile, but it was a hint somber, "you're just not...a human sorcerer; you don't have to apologize for things you didn't mean to happen because of it." 

Ian chuckled, softly, trying to keep his tone level, delicate. "If I still did that I'd be exhausted all the time," he reasoned, "you're really not alone in that, trust me, I went through that same feeling for a long time, and a lot of mess and magic going sideways because of it." 

He paused, not wanting to crowd her with so many people already there. "You go from here, right, you've got a lot of people who want to help." That's what made the difference, didn't it? Not being alone.

EILONWY

Eilonwy shifted closer to Willow, sliding her hand around until she was able to hold Willow a little bit more as she started to cry. She was also familiar with those moments when feelings exploded beyond the barriers you had in place to control them. It felt like it happened to her all the time, although the number of people who witnessed it were still incredibly small and mostly in this room. 

"I'm pretty sure everyone in this room has lied about at least one important thing sometimes. Sometimes you have to until you know it's safe enough to tell the truth. Especially an important truth. This was big and important."

She couldn't help glancing at Ian, Tony, and Edward. After all, they knew some of her biggest secrets, and even they didn't know everything. Some things were too big to share until there was no chance of hiding them anymore. 

"But Ian and Tony are right - you weren't awful. You just weren't those things. Human sorcerers work with magic one way and mundus live around magic a different way. You're brand new to finding out how your magic does work. If what we saw tonight is what you can do when you're brand new, the magic you can do once you've had a little time to learn and experiment is going to be incredible. Give yourself time, okay? We're here to learn with you. I promise."

WILLOW

By the time the three of them had finished talking, Willow was crying so hard she'd gone mute. All she could do was take little gasps of air as she wept, each breath shaky with the weight of all the emotions from the... well, from the past several months, honestly.

She didn't know how badly she needed to hear all of that until someone had said it.

Willow leaned into Eilonwy's embrace, tucking her face against her shoulder to try and hide the way her face went all splotchy with color when she cried. Boscha had mocked her enough times about what an ugly crier she was. Her hand stayed laced tightly with Amity's, while the other fisted tightly on the couch. Blaze nudged against her fist with her nose, licking her pale knuckles softly, and Willow released some of the tension. She could feel the crescent-marks she was digging into her palms with her own nails, and tried to relax a little more.

"I'm sorry," she warbled again, voice weak, because every time she tried to say ‘thank you’ it got caught in her throat. They were being so much kinder than she deserved. ‘Thank you’ didn't feel like enough.

EILONWY

"It's okay," Eilonwy said, leaning more into Willow to try and provide as much comfort as she could. The light that had been so angry and defensive earlier had softened, wrapping around Willow like a gently warmed blanket. 

"Now, come on, if we don't eat something Tony's going to give us all the saddest eyes and it's both annoying and effective," she teased gently, squeezing Willow yet again. 

She wasn't really hungry herself, but she knew sometimes it was easier to do these things with company. It felt tough to let go of Hunter's hand, but she made herself do it so she could take the bowl of food that Tony handed over to her. 

In what, for her, was a gesture of conciliation, she looked over to where the adults were still standing. "You're welcome to join us as well, if you wish." But she wasn't moving from this couch until Willow was okay. She didn't care if that took all night.

WILLOW

Willow tugged weakly on the hem of Eilonwy's shirt. "Drink your potion," she muttered wetly.

HUNTER

Hunter listened. That was all he could do really. He was in no place to make any judgment about magical ability. He knew he was nowhere near as strong enough as he needed to be, and the longer he stayed in Swynlake, the weaker he seemed to get. So, when he looked at Willow he didn't see a failed sorcerer, or a strange mixture of magic.

He saw his friend. His crying friend, who pressed her face into Eilonwy's shoulder. 

Okay, technically Eilonwy was between them and Hunter couldn't really see anything or even really offer any consolation. 

"I don't think you need to apologize," said Hunter, once Eilonwy had let go of his hand. (He stretched his fingers out a little, the absence of her touch magnified.)

"Magic isn't as black and white as we sometimes make it out to be, you know? You're not just good or bad at it." He shook his head, then added earnestly. "I must say, though, this is a fascinating turn of events -- your magic sounds very special."

DARIUS

Well, the news was certainly surprising. But other than a pair of raised eyebrows, he did not betray this in his expression, which remained neutral throughout. If anything, an insightful individual might be able to notice the tensed muscles and darted eyes of someone who really didn't know how to handle a crying child. He hadn't been able to when they'd first met, and he certainly couldn't now.

Luckily, her friends seemed more than capable. It was good, to know she was surrounded by so many supportive people. When Hunter spoke, he finally looked back, watching him. What he had to say sounded familiar--very familiar. Something similar had been said to Darius when he was growing up and struggling in Hexside. By someone he'd been close to.

At last, he cleared his throat. "Hunter is right, as is everyone else. While an unexpected development, it's not something that can't be worked with. Magic, no matter how unconventional, can always be mastered with the right tools."

He took a step forward. "That being said, it's nothing to be concerned with right now. For the time being, everyone should eat and rest."

AMITY

Once again, Amity was useless.

There was so much she wanted to say. In her head, she turned to Willow and an epic speech came out, and each word was a powerful incantation, which would heal Willow’s wounds, smooth over her scars, wipe her cheeks, and turn back time. She could stop Willow from ever thinking those things by– telling her way way way sooner that she wasn’t useless or weak. That she was strong, in her own special Willow way.

It’s my favorite way. I missed it, so much– I missed you, I love you, you’re my Willow, and you don’t have to be like anyone else– 

The speech didn’t come out.

Everyone else’s did. It was easy for them, because they hadn’t let Willow’s hand slip from their grasp when they were young. They hadn’t turned their back on her. They hadn’t ignored her in the halls. They hadn’t walked past her, when Boscha was throwing insults. They hadn’t grit their jaw and said nothing over and over and over…

Here she was, saying nothing.

Who really was the useless one, huh? Amity was. Who really was the weak one? Amity was. 

She swallowed, her eyes falling to her own burned hands. She pressed her fingers into her palms. When she finally looked up, Willow was sniffling, but looked relieved, and Darius was taking up the reins again as the adult in the room. There was a moment of silence, for Amity to fill. She desperately wanted to fill it. She wanted to tell Willow something, anything. Please, something, anything.

She glanced at Willow. “We’ll be here for you, Willow,” she murmured– her eyes falling again shyly, and she knew it wasn’t enough and she knew that Willow might not even believe her. 

At least she had better friends now. Friends who had never hurt her. Friends she deserved.

WILLOW

Willow had honestly expected the worst from Hunter and Darius. It wasn't anything they had done wrong, it was just... they were from the Isles, just like her and Amity. 

When she'd told Amity, the discovery had been fresh and she'd been desperate to tell someone, anyone, who might understand her confusion and her fear. Fairies were pests on the Boiling Isles, and the ones who did try to survive on the Titan were much different than fairies like Flower or any of the others Willow had met. The librarian from Hexside had been a fairy and she was terrifying, crueler than several of the teachers. 

(Willow wondered now if that's what she would have turned into if she'd stayed in Bonesborough. Bitter and vicious and mean. Deeply and desperately alone.)

Willow had regretted telling Amity almost the moment the words had left her mouth, but Amity had stepped up and reacted... well, as well as she could have considering how awkward things had been between them then (and still kind of now). It had turned out okay. Now...

Hunter told her she didn't need to apologize. That her magic was special.

Darius had agreed, and treated it like she'd just chosen a new specialty that she could perfect. Not a lost cause at all, just a -- forgive the pun -- late-bloomer.

Amity promised to stay.

And Willow let out a relieved breath, somewhere between a laugh and a sob, and smiled. It was small, and her face was blotched with ruddy color from crying so hard, but it was genuine. The plants in the room, few as they were, brightened as Willow took a deep breath and felt the pressure wash away. They sung to her, wordless and gentle, and she let it fill her up.

She'd been caught at the end of her free-fall, and now she could sink into the arms that had caught her.

"Thank you," she said earnestly, voice wet and rough. She sniffed, reaching for some of the napkins Tony had brought over and wiped her face off before she delicately blew her nose. It didn't help much, but she felt a little less gross.

Okay, she still felt like she'd had a significant amount of blood drained from her by an evil sentient plant, followed by an absolutely exhausting emotional gambit, but like, her nose wasn't snotty any more.

The napkin got tucked into the pocket of her borrowed hoodie and Willow looked over the spread of food Tony had made and actually saw it for the first time. It looked amazing, and she was starving. She rested her hand on Tony's and gave him a small smile. "Thanks," she said again, meaning more than a few things. While she reached for a small bowl of food, her tail wrapped around the glass that held Amity's dose of potion and held it up to her. "You need to drink too," she said softly, rubbing a hand over Amity's knee before passing the other glass to Eilonwy. 

"If you think Tony's sad eyes are bad, I just cried mine out so they're really effective," she tried to joke, but her voice was still strained and wet so it probably didn't work. Willow nodded to herself when she saw most of Hunter's dose gone, giving him a soft, gracious smile before passing the bowl in her hands to him and grabbing another one for herself.

EILONWY

Hunter and Amity's support was something Eilonwy had never doubted because she trusted in them after everything they'd gone through. Darius...surprised her a little bit more. She wouldn't soften her stance on him for awhile longer, but it was enough to make her a little bit less defensive of his presence. 

The joke did make her chuckle and she gave Willow one last squeeze before unwrapping her arm so she could take the glass. Finally, she drank the potion, feeling the way it trickled down her throat and along her veins to continue the work of patching her together. 

It would still be a long time before her ribs stopped aching. The potion helped. 

She glanced over at Edward, giving him a small smile to try and communicate that it was okay for him to relax and come closer. Ian wasn't far, and she knew he would be by Tony so they would be fine. The rest of her friends were here with her. 

She could live with that. 

Quietly, she began to dig into the food in front of her.

TONY

Tony’s shoulders relaxed a hair as the others piped in. Willow needed that, needed the support, and Tony needed to see the light enter her eyes again. There were people that Tony had known for longer, of course, but the little time that their paths had crossed was all he needed to know that Willow was one of those people who would leave a lasting mark on him.

Now that the curse was broken he hoped he could return the favor.

“If you don’t like the food I need you all to pretend you do,” Tony joked. “I may have gotten off scot-free but a wound to my pride I don’t think I could survive.” He turned his head to wink at Ian and smirk at Eilonwy as he caught her eye as well.

“You all need to get better, dammit, because this is gonna be a killer goddamn story someday.” Levity thy name, tonight, was Tony Rydinger. At least now that the danger had passed and Willow seemed to be accepting she might be on the mend. The road wouldn’t be smooth, no, but it would be long.

IAN & EDWARD

Edward moved near enough to offer Willow a smile, there was very little left unsaid so he didn't have much to offer other than his presence, and he wasn't straying, but he did relax once it was clear everyone else was beginning to settle, there, together. 

He of course was sound enough on his feet to tend to whatever was needed to let them relax, and that was what he intended to do. 

"Tony is quite right," Edward mused, and it would, once the long night was behind them. Hopefully a story to look back on as a catalyst. 

Ian turned his attention to quietly texting his mom, gathering a blanket or two for once fatigue set in to gnaw at everyone, casting a glance towards Darius and Winston in passing. "You should sit down too if you're staying," he suggested evenly; the weariness and sharp emotions needed time to lull.��

"If anyone needs anything else I think we can handle it between the three of us," Ian gave a nod to Edward and Tony and another encouraging smile to the battle-worn cluster on the couch; a moment to catch their breath was probably the best thing he could offer to help at that point.

AMITY

The Blights used to have family dinners. But they were conducted like business meetings. Everyone sat and before you could eat, you had to report about your day. You had to share the good and the bad. Odalia liked to interrogate you too, if she felt that she had to– question after the twins about why they weren’t getting better marks in class– bother Amity about exactly how long she was spending in the labs, or what social events she was getting invited to. There had always been something to criticize. Either she wasn’t putting in enough effort to network with other important families, or she wasn’t spending enough time assisting her teachers, or practicing for grudgby, or in the labs, or the studio–

Dinners were exhausting. And this strange little affair was nothing like them.

Even though they were all tired, even though Willow was still sniffling, the atmosphere was warm. Amity didn’t even eat at first, mostly because she was distracted, her eyes flickering from person to person as she peered at their reagents. They smiled and those smiles brought new colors to life. Eilonwy’s hope and comfort glowed like embers. Tony’s words had texture– fuzzy and soft. Like a soft animal that curled up on your lap.

Amity didn’t even want to eat, honestly. She would be fine watching, and wondering if this was how it always was when Tony, Ian, and Eilonwy got together to eat. Like a real family. 

She ducked her head though when she thought she saw Darius looking at her, and she didn’t want to be scolded for not eating. So she just ate quietly, having nothing else to add. But she was happy to be there, even if it was a happiness that she kept all to herself.

HUNTER

Hunter hadn't realized how hungry he was till he started eating. He needed to pace himself, but it felt like there was a ravenous black hole in the pit of his stomach. It was also then he realized how tired he was. The health potion must've hit, surging over the adrenaline rush and calming his frayed nerves. All he wanted to do now was close his eyes and rest his head on Eilonwy's shoulder.

He did not do that of course. Because there were two other people on the couch, though the idea of just resting and having all that warmth and weight around him was tantalizing almost. But he did sigh, leaning back and letting his always perfect posture slack for just a second. 

"Thank you," he said, holding up the bowl in acknowledgement. "This is... nice."

DARIUS

As everyone began to eat and turn their attention away from him, Darius began to relax. But just as quickly, a shiver of awkwardness traveled up his spine as he realized he didn't know what to do with himself. He wasn't much interested in the food--he'd already eaten and simply did not desire mundus food--but he also didn't want to just sit down. Despite the boy's (whose house this was?) insistence, he was fairly sure he would not be able to just make himself comfortable. It was becoming obvious, from his unscathed body and his extravagant outfit, that he had not truly been a part of this experience. That he didn't belong.

Not that he needed to, but it did make his remaining presence a bit strange. With all eyes off him and the danger passed, he slipped away into the kitchen to give everyone their much needed space.

WILLOW

Willow still grieved.

Silently. She grieved the hybrid, whose only crime was loving too much. She grieved all the plants that had died in the greenhouse, burnt to ash with the scorching intensity of her magic.

Most of all, Willow grieved herself. 

She grieved for the little girl alone in the back of the class with a useless wand, tears gathering silently in her eyes. She grieved for the teenager pressing herself as close to the wall as possible as the boiling rain came down, crying through each stinging touch against her back or calves. She grieved for the woman too scared to go out into the market on her own, frightened at the thought of being out in the world as such an obvious easy target.

She shouldn’t have had to live through all of that for Willow to be where she was now, but she had. Willow had survived it all to end up on this couch, surrounded by friends.

And now that scared, helpless little girl was no more.

‘Thank you for making it this far,’ Willow thought as the conversation went on around her. The familiar feeling of her Papa’s healing potion kicking in and picking up where Darius’s abomination clay left off lulled her into a sort of half-sleep, and Willow curled up against Amity’s side as soon as her bowl of food was done. Her awareness drifted in and out as the night went on, and soon the room was quiet. Willow could hear a distant conversation happening in the kitchen and someone had draped a blanket over her. Amity had curled around her back protectively, one arm around her waist, and Eilonwy had ended up draped over her front with one hand out towards Edward curled up next to the couch. Hunter had slumped over so his head was resting on Eilonwy’s shoulders and Willow had managed to throw her legs over Eilonwy’s lap and shove her cold toes under Hunter’s thigh. Tony and Ian were on the nearby couch, tangled together, with their two dogs splayed out on the floor between them all.

For the first time in almost six years, the idea of falling asleep surrounded by so many people didn’t terrify her into restlessness. She felt safe and sleepy, instead. Willow nuzzled into Amity’s shoulder, a small smile on her lips, and stroked some of Eilonwy’s blonde hair back from where it was tickling her nose.

Surrounded by her friends, Willow fell asleep, and in the morning, the house was surrounded by vibrant fall blooms, and not one of them could speak.

[halfawitch-willow]

Watching Eilonwy perform magic was like watching a salamander tamer in the Bonesborough market. She coaxed and commanded the flame with an expert hand, firm yet not too tight, and the fire leapt eagerly from her hands to race across the snow. The whole yard glittered subtly with golden and red reflections, and Willow wished she could appreciate it more.

But she was perked at attention, watching the house and the neighbors with bright, calculating eyes. Her tail wrapped tightly around Eilonwy's hips, helping to keep her upright while her hands were occupied.

Plants didn't feel pain the same way people did -- at least, not the non-sentient ones, she corrected with a pang of guilt -- and the grass Eilonwy burned gave a thankful murmur for the warmth before going quiet. The rest of the yard perked to attention at the heat, and Willow hummed a little more, calming them with the magical equivalent of stroking a gentle hand along a cat's back. She angled the broom down a little closer to the yard, tearing open the packet of muckweed seeds with her teeth.

Honestly, Willow had no idea if this would work. The soil on the Isles was so differently from the soil in Swynlake, and even if it was just as rich in magic -- except this yard, which felt a little like the magic had seeped away from it -- it didn't have that demonic punch that most of the plants on the Isles needed.

Willow would have to provide that.

"Here goes something," Willow muttered under her breath as she started to scatter the first half of the seeds out. They were already awake and wiggling against her mind, mischievous giggles ringing in her ears, and Willow latched onto that as she held the packet between her teeth and dug her fingers into the warm soil, one hand on her broom. Her magic sunk down through her hand, dripping warm from her veins like blood, and the muckweed latched onto it. The seeds dug themselves into the soil, roots racing down and soaking up all the melted snow, and soon the pungent weeds were breaking back through the surface. They were a little lighter in color than the usual variants Willow saw on the Isles, a warm sunset color instead of the usually bleeding red, but they grew fast and strong, that familiar smell of sulfur and rot almost comforting. Willow pushed more magic into the soil, some of the surrounding plants latching onto it as well and peeking through the remaining snow, until the muckweed was nearly high enough to be at her hip were she standing.

@foreverydinger @eilonwy-notjustgirl

❀ Malicious Gardening ❀ || Tony, Willow, & Eilonwy (Ft. Annie/Annie's House)

[dvarapala]

+ @undisappears​ / continued from here

"gods, don’t even get me started.” maybe human-alien hybrids and superheroes aren’t so different after all. “it’s a heavy lift with a gift so humbling.” udyati runs a hand through her hair. “glad to hear you renounced your renunciation, though. you always made me feel... seen. i appreciate that more than you know.”

[vvinter-queen]

Soda Shop Blues ❅ Memorabilia

Elsa remembered the first time she met Tony Rydinger.

It was the start of summer vacation, and Elsa had been working the counter alone. It was still early enough in the day that the crowds wouldn’t be coming in until noon, so she gave her employees the morning to brace themselves. She’d heard the bell above the door ring, saw a teen walk in - must have been one of the secondary students, sometimes they blurred together - and began to make a root beer float.

She wasn’t sure why she had, just a feeling that it would be what he wanted. It had almost been done by the time he got to the counter, and Elsa had been a little dazed, but thankful when he’d accepted the drink.

He introduced himself as Tony, and became a bit of a regular. Always ordering the same root beer float.

Now, when she made the float for him when he walked in, it was with a small smile. “Hello, Tony,” she greeted, already scooping ice cream into the tall glass for his float. She was working alone again, but thankfully January was slow. She’d need new employees soon, though; Valentines was coming quicker than she liked and that was always a big day.

As Tony approached the counter, her tiny smile turned into a worried frown. He looked tired. She didn’t say so out loud, knowing it would be rude, but added an extra scoop to his jar. “Have a seat,” she said instead, voice gentle.

@rydinger-tony

[swynlake-spill]

All my dreams involve Tony Rydinger, leather jackets and long walks on the beach.

That is what we call the Tony Rydinger Complete Package. waiting for glade to come out with a candle with that exact scent b/c it would sell MILLIONS 

[im-fairly-whitty]

Caught in the Riptide -- Riptide!Incredibles AU

Violet Parr’s almost-boyfriend Tony Rydinger has super abilities he’s hidden his whole life. That is, hidden until the government asks him to join their new “exemplary taskforce” of new Supers to pave the way for legalized, registered, and government-employed Supers.

Tony has never wanted to be a capital S Super, but he figures that if participating in what he’s assured is really just a publicity campaign is how he can help defend his country against non-registered vigilantes like the Incredibles, then it’s his duty to do his best. Of course, the newly christened Riptide soon realizes that nothing is quite as simple as it seems.

Fanfic for the Riptide!Incredibles AU. A post-movie Incredibles 2 au belonging to @edorazzi (on tumblr).

Part 1: The Offer

“And then my family’s going on a trip next week,” Violet said, flipping on her blinker as they drove through an intersection, “so I don’t know when I’ll be back from that.”

“I can’t believe how many things your family does together.” Tony said, smiling as he stared out at the heavy rain hitting the car window.

He could feel the water all around them, falling from the sky, pelting the windshield, running across the pavement under them and spraying from the spinning wheels of the car as they drove. It made him feel alive. If he were alone he’d have the windows all rolled down.

“Oh, well, I mean, I guess,” Violet said, blushing a little as she turned the wheel, “my dad’s always making us go, and my mom’s always-”

“No, no, I think it’s cool.” Tony said quickly. He and Violet had been spending time together for months now, but she still got embarrassed over the funniest things. “I think it’s really neat that your parents want to spend so much time with you, even if it’s always so last minute. I mean, I wish I could see you more, but I get it.”

“Well, thanks.” Violet said. She was smiling that adorable little smile she did when he knew she wanted to smile big, “And thanks for being cool with it.”

“What kind of friend would I be if I wasn’t?” Tony said, playfully elbowing her, “I mean, you’re the one chauffeuring me to work.”

“Stop it Tony, I’m driving.” Violet said, laughing as she elbowed him back. “Sorry we’re taking all these side roads, Center Street is still all torn up, I hope you’re not going to be late.”

“Don’t worry about it, I’ll just tell my mom we forgot about the construction.” Tony said, “I guess the Incredibles sure had a blast taking out whoever was trying to rob the bank last week.”

“The DMV.”

“What? I thought they said it was the bank on the news?”

“I mean...it might have been the bank.” Violet said, casually shrugging her shoulders as they drove into the parking lot of the Happy Platter, pulling around back, “I don’t really pay attention to the news I guess.”

“I don’t really either.” Tony said, unbuckling his seatbelt as she parked the car in the back alley behind the restaurant, “All this Super politics stuff kinda goes over my head to be honest.”

“Don’t forget your umbrella,” Violet said as he opened his door, “you’ll get soaked.”

“Thanks.”  Tony said, grabbing his black umbrella and opening it with a grin as he stepped out of the car, right into a puddle that came up to his ankles. “I don’t mind a little water though.”

“Well, you’ll mind a lot of water if you start your shift looking like a drowned rat.” Violet said with an amused look, “You’re already in your work clothes, you won’t have time to dry off.”

Tony leaned down to see her one last time, obediently holding the umbrella over himself to stay dry.

“You still want to come over to do homework tomorrow after school?” he asked, leaning his arm against the top of the car door.

“Only if we finally watch that dumb movie you keep bugging me about afterward.” Violet said.

“Aw, come on Vi! Creature from the Black Lagoon is a work of art!” Tony teased, “You just watch, it’ll be a classic someday. I think it’ll be on at seven tomorrow night, I’ll double check which channel.”

“I’m only watching it so I’ll have some peace.” Violet said, rolling her eyes in mock irritation. “I’ll bring the popcorn.”

“Perfect.” Tony said, stepping back so he could shut the door as Violet rolled the window down. “I’ll call you at like ten tonight, when I get off work.”

“Sounds good, my dad should be off the phone by then.” Violet said, “Have a good shift, Tony.”

“Drive safe, Vi.”

Tony backed up as she rolled the window up and put the car in reverse, waving at him as she pulled out of the alley and then drove away, disappearing into the pouring rain.

Tony wasn’t sure what he’d done to deserve having her as a friend, but whatever it was, he was glad he’d done it. And maybe, if he wasn’t reading all the signs completely wrong, they could even be more than friends soon.

He looked down at his shoes, they were completely soaked through to his socks. He smiled as he splashed his right foot a little, then closed his umbrella. He looked up into the stormy grey sky, stretching out his arms as the rain pelted him, soaking him to the bone in seconds.

The water was probably freezing, but even when he was a kid water temperature had never bothered him, whether cold or hot. He spread his fingers wide, letting the feeling wash through him. Every part of him tingled with energy, the water around him feeling like possibility, wanting him to reach out, to let it become a part of him.

But...he was already late for work. And besides, even in a back alley someone might see him.

He took a last deep breath of the stormy air, and then pulled a key out of his pocket, unlocking the back door of his family’s restaurant and letting himself into the kitchens. Mom would be expecting him to be waiting tables already, meaning he had to get out to the front.

He left sloshing footprints across the tile floor of the empty, half-lit backroom as he tossed his umbrella in the corner. Tony closed his eyes, taking in a breath and letting himself feel the water that was dripping off him, the water plastering his hair down, the drop of water dripping off his nose.

He took a careful breath, and then raised both his hands, imagining that he was pulling off a blanket. He opened his eyes as the water on him pulled forward and then off him, gathering into a clear mass floating in front of him, leaving his work uniform and hair completely dry.

He smiled to himself as he carefully moved his wrists, sending the water running through the air and splashing into an old sink, only some of it sloshing onto the floor. He reached out to the spilled water on the floor with his mind, commanding it to gather itself up and sending it up and into the sink with the rest.

Tony grinned as he quickly ran his fingers through his mussed hair and straightened his work uniform bowtie. His breath was a little shaky, but it was worth the satisfaction of an “insta-dry” as he called it.

Only his parents knew about his...skill, and he rarely used it, but he did have a couple small tricks that made life easier when no one was around.

He walked to the sink, turning on the tap for cold, and then walking to the other end of the counter to grab some of the plastic pitchers sitting on the shelf. He arranged a set of plastic tumblers on a serving tray, then looked over at the running tap.

Normally he’d just walk the extra five steps back to the sink to fill the pitchers the normal way...but there was still so much energy running through him from the storm he could still feel raging outside.

He might as well have just a little more fun before getting to work.

He reached out with his mind to the tap water, beckoning it forward with his hand and angling it into the two pitchers he had set on the counter. It took extra focus to keep the running water in the air, but he squinted his eyes, keeping his hands steady as he imagined running an imaginary hose from the faucet to the pitchers, carefully filling them both before letting the stream of water drop back into the sink with a splash.

Tony leaned against the counter, chuckling a little at his slight dizziness as he took a second to collect himself. He picked up one of the pitchers, inspecting it smugly. Not too shabby.

“That’s quite a party trick you have there, young man.”

Tony jumped, whipping around in panic, the pitcher he was holding sloshing water all across the floor.

A man in a trim suit walked out of the shadows on the other side of the room, an amused smile on his face.

Tony’s mind somehow blanked and screamed at him at the same time. The man had seen, he’d seen him use his power, he knew he wasn’t normal. Was he just a patron who’d wandered into the back looking for the bathroom? Was he from some kind of superpower tracking organization? Was he going to arrest him?

“I, I wasn’t, I didn’t-” Tony stuttered, taking a step back and clutching the mostly empty pitcher.

What if the man was a villain?

“Hold on there son, calm down.” the man said, chuckling as he held out a hand, “My name is William Gibbons, I’m just here to talk.”

“C-customers aren’t allowed in the back, Sir.” Tony said, his voice cracking and his brain switching into autopilot as he stared at the man’s outstretched hand.

“Hydrokinesis.” Mr. Gibbons said, putting his unshaken hand back in his pocket, “That’s an incredible power, ever use it for anything bigger than filling water pitchers?”

“No sir, Supers are illegal.” Tony said, his knuckles turning white from his grip on the water pitcher’s handle. “I mean, I think they are, I don’t really listen to the news that close, I just do little things, I mean, I try not to, I mean-”

“I’m sorry to have caught you on your shift Mr. Rydinger, but I have a proposition for you.” Mr. Gibbons said, pulling over two bar stools from the side of the room and sitting on one, waving for Tony to sit on the other. “I’m an agent for the United States Exemplary Taskforce committee for the Superhero Registration Accords initiative. Ever heard of it?”

“I-I don’t think so.” Tony said, cautiously scooting onto the other stool, “I mean, I’ve heard of the accords, everyone’s heard of that I think. Not the other one though.”

What he wanted was to run out of the room, but it was way too late for that. Besides, if Mr. Gibbons was going to hurt or arrest him he already would have, right?

“Well, that’s because the “other one” is a highly classified government project.” Mr. Gibbons said, tugging on the cuffs of his sleeves, “Which is why before we go any further I ask that you keep the subject matter of this conversation between us. I am bringing you into a conversation of utmost importance, one of national security.”

“Of course, yes sir.” Tony said, sitting up straight on his stool. National security?

“Times are changing Mr. Rydinger, as you’re probably aware,” Mr. Gibbons said, “there’s been a shift in our society recently with the re-emergence of Supers. While being a Superhero, and to some extent having super powers, has been illegal until very recently, we’re now seeing more and more individuals step up to the opportunity to use their powers in public. What’s your opinion on it, Anthony?”

“I, well, I guess everyone’s just trying to do their best.” Tony said, shrugging his shoulders, unable to fight off a rising sense of deja vu, “I mean, I know Supers do a lot of damage to buildings and roads, but as long as they’re protecting innocent people I think that’s something good, right? I know there’s a lot of people who are using their powers for bad too though, I guess I can see both sides.”

“You’re a smart kid.” Mr. Gibbons said, nodding, “That’s a very diplomatic answer. Tell me Anthony, have you ever considered being a Super?”

Him? A Super?

“Not since I was really young I think.” Tony said, laughing nervously, “I mean, the whole idea sounds cool to any kid I think, but all I can do is throw water around. And I wouldn’t want to break the law like that anyway, filling glasses is one thing, but I would never go running around trying to stop crime, I’m not like, like the Incredibles or anything.”

“Well, I’m glad to hear that, you’re exactly the kind of person that I’m looking for.” Mr. Gibbons said, reaching into his coat and pulling out a business card, handing it to Tony.

He tipped the card towards the light, the words “Exemplary Taskforce” glinting back at him.

“This is going to be a time that is very confusing for a lot of Supers,” Mr. Gibbons said, watching him closely, “whether they’ve been participating in illegal activity, or doing their civic duty like yourself and obeying the law. The last thing that the government wants right now is for mass chaos to break out, we don’t need everyone who can buy a set of spandex starting to moonlight as a “hero” in their spare time. There need to be rules, there needs to be order. There needs to be an example set for the coming generation of Supers, and I would like you to be part of that.”

“I, what?” Tony said, looking up, “But I’m not a Super, I mean, my power isn’t really good for anything but drying off quickly.”

“That’s only because you haven’t trained your skill,” Mr. Gibbons leaning forward on his stool with a smile, “imagine what it would be like to walk outside into that rain right now and be able to reach out and stop every raindrop for miles around. Imagine being able to dive into the ocean and having all that water respond to your command. Being able to divert rivers to put out fires, containing explosions and debris with a wall of water, immobilizing criminals with the flick of your wrist and a puddle.”

Tony sat on his stool, holding his half-full pitcher of water and hearing the rain pounding the roof above him. For a moment he did imagine. The breathtaking rush that controlling that much water would be, how incredible it would feel to spring into action to help others with his power.

To not be afraid to live that part of himself out in the open.

“Well, when you say it like that it does sound pretty cool.” Tony said, smiling at the business card, “What...would someone on your taskforce do?”

“The taskforce is going to be a group of brand new heroes,” Mr. Gibbons said, “Supers who will be examples of heroes at their peak. Instead of being vigilantes operating with homemade equipment and their own rules, taskforce members will receive professional training, identity protection, publicity management, and a government issued paycheck for their services.

“The reason that Supers were outlawed was because of the unchecked destruction caused by well-intentioned vigilantes playing by their own rules. This time around we’re going to show everyone that Supers and the government can work together, and that it’s better for everyone. No more chaos, everything legal, Supers will finally be able to fully integrate into society. Their efforts will be a proper career, a way to build a safer world for us all.”

“That does sound pretty cool.” Tony said softly.

A world with legal Supers. A world with Supers who could be trained and paid and protected. A world where having powers would never have to be illegal again and everyone could be safe.

“I have school though,” Tony said, looking away from the card, “I have a job helping my parents with the restaurant. I’d really like to help, but I don’t know if I’m good enough to help so many people, there has to be someone better, someone stronger who wants to fight.”

“That son is what we call humility.” Mr. Gibbons said, smiling, “And believe it or not, it’s perhaps the rarest power a Super can have. If you choose to join the taskforce you won’t have to worry, your schooling will be finished with private tutors and your parents will receive a stipend that will cover much more than your half-time table bussing shift, believe me.

“As for strength, that’s what the training is for, and besides, the goal of the task force is not to be soldiers, it’s to have a group of levelheaded Supers that can be ambassadors to the public. Supers who can set an example for others to follow, to show unity and organization to help reign in vigilantes before they come back in full force.”

“And...if I say no thanks?” Tony asked, scratching the back on his head.

“It’s entirely up to you.” Mr. Gibbons shrugged, “There would be a legal silence agreement I would ask you to sign to keep this conversation to ourselves, and then you would be free to bus tables in peace for the rest of your high school career. There’s plenty of other law-abiding Supers out there who would be able to fulfill their duty to serve their country, to take our nation in the right direction, to set an example for the entire world of what unity and freedom really looks like.”

The whole world. A whole generation of Supers. Thousands of people, of kids like him, who’d hidden what they could do their whole lives.

Tony looked down at the water left in his plastic pitcher.

It was crazy, it was completely out of the blue, but...was it really that crazy when he thought about it? He never really wanted to be a Super, a real hero out on the streets, but he’d been born with his talent anyway, and he was already a firm believer that people who could help others should.

“Can I think about it?” Tony asked, looking down and rubbing his thumb over the business card.

“Of course. I wouldn’t expect you to make this kind of decision on the spot.” Mr. Gibbons said, getting off his stool and straightening his hat, “I’ve already spoken with your parents and they’ve given their permission if you’re interested.”

“Really?” Tony’s eyes widened. Mom and Dad had always been alright with his ability, but he’d never really, well, talked to them about it before.

“They understand that you have a unique talent, and that if you choose to develop it legally into a career serving your country that it’s your choice.” Mr. Gibbons said, putting his stool back against the wall, “Of course, I would recommend that you speak with them about it as well. I have another stop here in town before I head back, but when you’ve made up your mind my number is on the back of that card. Don't lose it, and remember that if you agree to join, the sooner you let me know the sooner we can start your training.”

“Yes, sir.” Tony said, getting up from his stool and slipping the card into his apron pocket, this time shaking Mr. Gibbons’ hand when he offered it. “Thank you for coming and talking to me about this, I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.”

“You’re a bright kid Anthony,” Mr. Gibbons smiled, “I know you’ll make whatever choice is best. I hope to hear from you soon.”

And without another word, he turned and left the kitchen. Leaving Tony standing alone with his half-full pitcher, and a business card that felt like it was burning a hole in his apron.

Tony stared at the wall for a long minute, his head a mess of thoughts.

He walked to the back door, almost in a daze, propping it open to see the rain still coming down hard outside.

A real Super. Really helping people. Helping bring order and unity. Something that only someone like him could do.

He reached out a hand, pulling some of the rain over to fall across his palm, dripping off his fingertips.

This was something he could do.

[Read Chapter 2: Old Friends]

----------

Hope you enjoyed part 1, I’ve been captured by this au and as usual will be chasing it as far as my excitement takes me. (Which my long-time readers know is usually pretty far.)

I have at least a couple more chapters in mind for this au, so be sure to follow my tumblr and AO3 to catch the next chapter as soon as it posts. Many thanks to @edorazzi on tumblr for starting this au with their wonderful artwork and headcanons, and for welcoming me on to write for it! Their ideas are fantastic and so fun to work with.

Cheers,

- Wit

(Support me on Patreon or buy me a Ko-fi!)

[halfawitch-willow]

Someone Tell Lady Luck I'm Stuck Here ❁ WSoH 2

Willow is training at the Court of Miracles and her exhaustion is catching up to her. Again. Lucky for her, Tony and Jessica notice. Takes place on Oct 12th 1 // What Do You Want From Me, Blood? @foreverydinger & @notbad-justsungthatway tw: none

WILLOW

Willow was slowly getting the hang of this serving thing. Jess was starting her out slowly, mercifully, and mostly paired her with another server to help deliver food or drinks. This worked for two reasons: one, Willow got to observe the other servers and how they interacted with the patrons, and two, Willow got to stick to her comfort zone and come out at her own pace.

It didn’t hurt that Willow’s sense of balance was second to none, and she had already mastered carrying multiple trays without spilling a single drink. Sometimes, having a tail was really convenient.

She was paired with Tony tonight, which suited Willow just fine. She arguably knew him the best out of all of the servers. She stood in the drinkwell, waiting for the next table to come in, and leaned her head back against the wall. Willow hadn’t been able to slip back to her dorm that day to catch a nap while Kim was in class, and she was feeling it. She was about to attempt sleeping with her eyes open when Tony walked over and she shook herself back to attention.

TONY

Tony knew the Court’s layout like the back of his hand, as he did most spaces in Swynlake these days. Sure Enchantra and Pride University were still a mystery to him but the former he didn’t tend to seek out and the latter? Well, he was going to get there. So he dodged and weaved his way through the Court of Miracles crowd with ease, telling Willow he’d be right back as he went to bring a few drinks to the performers.

Mostly he was checking on Jess but that was neither here nor there.

He felt his social battery charging as he said hello to familiar faces and greeted new ones entering the Court for the first time (mostly tourists of course). Tony was energized and invigorated by the work. It was hardly even work anyway when he had so much fun. That’s how the saying went, right? Well either way he scanned the area for any issues that needed assisting before ducking back to the drinkwell to meet back up with Willow.

“Hey! You doing okay?” Tony saw a sort of blank look on Willow’s face, though he knew the stress of learning a new job could do that to people so he wasn’t too concerned. It was still important that she feel comfortable in this environment, though. He knew it could get overwhelming. “Have you had water yet?”

WILLOW

Willow blinked at Tony owlishly before giving him a small, wry smile. “Yeah, I’m okay,” she reassured. “I, uh, may have forgotten my water bottle at home.” She was doing that more often; forgetting things. She would usually remember before it was too late, especially with her school work, but she’d left for shifts at the Garden Grove without her gloves more than a few times recently. She really needed to just buy a second pair for work.

“Do you think anyone will mind if I just,” Willow gestured at one of the glasses. It was probably a silly question, but she’d rather be silly than misstep. She’d been very lucky to be hired on by Jessica, and she didn’t want to repay that kindness by screwing up.

TONY

Now there were technically rules about cups and where they could be for employees and what have you but Tony knew that Willow wasn’t about to litter the whole establishment with glassware so he shrugged nonchalantly. “Nah, you should be fine to take a cup. Just don’t leave it where patrons can see and don’t forget where you hide it. Also it’s good to have a cup dedicated just for work. Helps a ton!”

The rules were simple, at least to Tony who had done this for so long, so bending them just enough not to snap them wouldn’t be difficult. She seemed smart.

“Though you may want a soda or something at some point. Get that blood pumping!”

WILLOW

Willow nodded, filling the glass with ice and water quickly and taking a sip. The cold water shocked her brain, and she felt a hit of relief. She gave him a small smile at his recommendation. “I should be fine,” she promised.

They were quickly called back onto the floor and Willow made sure to hide her glass of water. She trailed after Tony, making sure not to get underfoot, and helped carry trays of drinks around through the club.

Thirty minutes later, Willow was feeling light-headed. Her exhaustion was dragging her down, like two iron weights strapped to her ankles, and she stumbled into the wall the next time they went back to the drink well. She tried to pop back up quickly to hide how she was feeling and instead fumbled the empty tray she was carrying right out of her hands. Willow cursed under her breath, clutching her shaking hands close to her chest.

“Ha, clumsy,” she said weakly, clinging to the wall as she bent down to get the tray.

TONY

Now there really was no good way to learn how to balance than simply doing it but Tony was grateful when Willow only fumbled the empty tray. It was normal to break one or two (or seven if you were some of the unfortunate servers who had worked at the Court in the past as uni students) but he had a feeling it would be a real confidence destroyer for Willow.

Also, uhhh, most people didn’t cling to the wall like that when it happened.

“You good? Need to take a break?” He glanced from her to the tray and back toward the direction of their section. Shit. Tony couldn’t really take a second. But he supposed Willow could.

WILLOW

“Yeah, I’m okay!” Willow said with a nervous laugh. She clutched the tray to her chest like a shield, hoping it hid how she was shaking. It wasn’t her first shift, but she still didn’t want to appear like she couldn’t keep up after Jessica took such a risk on her!

But honestly, the longer she went, the more she could feel all the sleep she hadn’t been getting. It was heavy on her limbs and her spine, pressing down until her head felt twenty times heavier than it should.

“Probably just need some more water, or some soda like you said-” Willow cut off her rambling when she saw Jessica approaching.

JESSICA

It wasn’t accurate to say that Jessica knew everything that went on in the Court of Miracles these days, but she knew enough of it to give that impression. Especially when it came to her employees. She always kept a close eye on them to see if there were any issues to be aware of as it was too easy for them to accept problems as ‘just how things are’ sometimes. 

It was Willow who had her attention tonight. Partially because she was new, and Jessica wanted to make sure she was adjusting well. Partially because it was easy to see that there was something wrong. She made a note to talk to Willow at the end of the shift to see if there was something she could do, and then had intended not to bother her as she continued her own training. The dropped tray and the way she was leaning against the wall changed that. 

“Tony, could you get that water? Let’s go into the back for a moment Willow, it’s all right.” 

She gently shooed Willow back towards the employee only section, trusting Tony to follow as soon as he had a chance. She shot Jared a meaningful look and he gave her a small nod as they made their way into the back. 

“Why don’t you take a seat Willow, I know shifts like this can be a lot to adjust to especially on top of school. Can you tell me when is the last time you’ve eaten?”

TONY

There were plenty of times that Tony had forced a coworker or friend to make sure they’d had some water or eaten something or sit the fuck down but at work was typically not one of those times. And, well, Tony didn’t really know Willow like that. Maybe she was just clumsy and starting a new job was always awkward and—

Oh thank God! Jess was here! Mother Hen of the Court of Miracles swooping in to handle it.

“You got it, Boss!” Tony chirped, winking at them both as he finished filling the glass and disappearing back out onto the floor. “Have fun you two!”

WILLOW

Willow followed Jessica meekly, still clinging to the tray. She was mortified, and wished more than anything that a Vein Worm would burst out of the floor and swallow her whole. But Swynlake didn’t have veins, or gigantic, toothy worms in them, so she shuffled after Jessica and tried not to look like she was about to cry.

She sat down at Jessica’s urging and gave Tony a weak, shivery smile. “I-I’m sorry, Jessica,” Willow started before she could even process the question her boss had asked. “I can keep up, I promise! I ate earlier this afternoon, it’s probably just a little dizzy fit. I can finish the shift!”

JESSICA

Well, that was something. Although Jessica still might start sending Willow home with some food. Even with Elliot in the house, she still ended up with plenty of leftovers she could share around, and it was getting into the time of year when she tended to make a lot of soups and stews that could stretch pretty far. But that would have to be for another night. 

If food wasn’t the problem the concern was illness or exhaustion, but at this stage it could be difficult to tell those two apart. She ignored Willow’s protestations for the moment, focusing on the issue at hand. “And how much have you been sleeping?”

WILLOW

Willow didn’t have a good answer for that and she knew it. What could she say? ‘I have sleepover trauma that I thought I could deal with right up until I had a roommate every single night, and now I haven’t slept more than an hour at a time in weeks? I was so zoned out at the Garden Grove this week that I sliced my hand open and my have accidentally created a new hybrid death flower?’

“I get enough,” Willow said softly to her knees. “I’m… I’m adjusting to the new dorm assignments, I guess. I’ll be better soon, I promise.”

Maybe she should bring some of her energy drinks with her to work? They’d been helping her stay awake in class, even if they gave her terrible jitters.

JESSICA

Ah. That was the lie. Of course, if she was sleeping that badly, it meant she likely would get sick before long as the body had ways of forcing a situation when it got bad enough, and Jessica had a feeling Willow was close to that point. 

Softly, she said, “Willow, if you’re having issues with your roommate that mean you’re not sleeping, you need to tell someone. Or find some other places that you can sleep until you can find a better solution. I know it can be hard to have these conversations, but your body needs sleep. And caffeine can only do so much before it starts adding strain to your body as well.”

She let out a small sigh. “It would be irresponsible of me to allow you to continue your shift tonight. Both as a person worried about you and as a manager. Instead, why don’t you sleep in my office? The door locks and no one will bother you there. I can wake you up when we’re closing.” 

WILLOW

“Oh, no! Kim is great!” Willow said quickly, not wanting Jessica to think otherwise. The fear that it would get back to Kim and they would have a problem was an irrational one, but very real nonetheless. “Just never shared a room before,” Willow said with a nervous laugh.

It wasn’t a good lie, but Willow would choke on her own tongue before she admitted to anyone how badly she’d been treated by her peers. Then she really would have to find a Vein Worm to swallow her whole.

Willow deflated at Jessica’s sigh, shame welling up her throat. She wasn’t being fired yet, at least. And the idea of a nap in a room with a lock appealed to her greatly. It would just be for a few hours…

“... Does it lock from the inside or outside?” Willow asked quietly, not able to make eye contact as she asked.

JESSICA

Jessica filed the name away. It wasn’t one she recognized, but she had a feeling Eilonwy would be able to tell her a little bit more about the girl and if there was something to worry about. For now, she let that go. It was Willow’s story and Willow’s secret to keep. As long as she took care of herself. 

Because Jessica didn’t want to let her go. The girl worked hard, and it was obvious she needed to build up some of her confidence and have places that felt safe. The Court could be good for that, and she trusted every person in this building. But protecting that feeling and that environment would always come first for Jess. It was a good place but you still needed to be careful. After all, broken glassware could result in injuries, and the late night crowd could get rowdy even with security keeping an eye on things. An employee this dizzy with stress was in danger here, let alone the danger they could cause to the business. 

“There’s a key to lock it from the outside, and the lock flips on the inside. I can give you the key and then you can lock yourself in so you’ll be the only one who can get in there.” Without waiting for Willow to respond, Jess reached into her pocket and pulled the key off the ring to hand over to Willow. 

Of course, she could pick the lock to get into the room if she really needed to. But Willow didn’t need to know that. It was enough for her to feel safe enough to rest for a solid few hours. 

WILLOW

Willow held the key in her palms like it was made of solid platinum. She hadn’t been able to lock the world away in… a while. Kim had a key to their room too and kept kind of odd hours, so Willow never knew how much time she’d have to herself. And locking herself in the bathroom for too long meant that someone would inevitably knock roughly on the door and scare the bile out of her.

She hadn’t had a place to just relax in ages.

Willow felt herself tearing up and quickly ducked behind her hair to hide her wet eyes. “Thank you,” she murmured, clutching the key tight in her trembling hands.

JESSICA

Jessica smiled down at the girl, catching the glimmer across her eyes before she looked away. Jess only had her instincts to work on, but that had clearly been the right move. Whatever was going on, the first step was to give her a chance to rest and recover a little bit. They’d see what came after that. 

“Of course. Come on, let me show you.” 

She waited to make sure Willow was following before picking up the glass of water Tony had brought earlier and leading Willow up the stairs. The VIP section was always quieter than the main floor anyway, and with the door closed all sound was pleasantly muffled. 

She hadn’t spent much time in her office since the night of the demon attack, but that was something else Willow didn’t need to think about. The room was fine. It would be clear of memories and would let her sleep - and maybe this kind of thing would help Jess clear out a few memories of her own. 

“Here you go. I’ll make sure to get you before I leave for the night so you can head home. But for now, go ahead and get some sleep.” 

WILLOW

Willow followed Jessica quietly, giving Tony a small, embarrassed wave and mouthing “Sorry” as they passed him. She managed to stay upright as they went up the stairs, but now that she knew she would be able to sleep soon, she found it nearly impossible to keep her eyes open. Part of her worried that when Jessica came to get her after closing, Willow might be too gone to hear her. 

She clutched the key tighter in her hands.

Jessica’s office was small but tidy, and there was a very comfortable looking couch against the wall that was practically calling Willow’s name. She took a deep breath, looking at Jessica as she spoke. Willow nodded. 

“I will, thank you,” Willow said softly, too tired to properly apologize for only making it halfway through her shift. 

Jessica closed the door behind her as she went and Willow hesitated for a moment before flipping the lock. When she tried the knob, it didn’t budge. Trembling, Willow went to one of the chairs in front of Jessica’s desk and pulled it over and put it under the knob as well, just in case. Paranoid? Maybe. But Willow could already feel the tension draining out of her shoulders and back.

The tears were rapidly flowing down her cheeks now as she walked to the couch, sitting in the corner facing the door and curling her knees up to her chin. Her tail curled invisibly around her ankles, and only the fear of cameras kept Willow from taking off her concealment stone. 

Slowly, as the minutes passed and there was no attempt to breach the door, Willow started to relax. She wiggled into a more comfortable position, wiping her cheeks before curling tightly around the key still held in her hand.

And when she fell asleep, Willow sunk so deep that she didn’t dream at all.

[thegoodvvitch-luz]

Luz laughed, only remembering to smother the boisterous sound at the last second. There was a reason she'd been banned from the Gravesfield Public Library no less than three times despite her love of the place.

(It had been an old building, perpetually stuck in the 90s thanks to the lack of funding, but it was just down the road from the fire house where her Papi had worked. She'd spent hours there during the summer, curled up in the aisles and reading whatever books she could get her tiny hands on. By the time Vee had come into their lives, Luz had been old enough to stay at home or help Mami out at the vet office, but she'd still snuck into the library with Vee a few times to get books on whatever topic the basilisk was curious about that they couldn't find on the internet.)

At the mention of her friend, Luz perked up. "Oh, you know Willow too?" She grinned. "No wonder I like your vibes!" She hopped up, tapping her hands on the table. "Say, I was on the way out for a study break snack. What say you join me and you tell me more about your song in a place I won't get booted out of for disorderly conduct?"

As if to prove Luz's point, the student librarian that was still hovering around gave them a warning look. Luz smiled at them, popping up one foot in a picture of innocence that would have made her sibling laugh out loud.

@foreverydinger

Waiting On A Song || Luny

[thegoodvvitch-luz]

By the time Tony introduced himself, Luz had melted into her hands, cupping her chin and smiling with stars in her eyes. "Tony Rydinger, that is the most romantic thing I've ever heard in my life," Luz said with faux solemnity.

(Well, second most. Her parents still had 'Best Love Story' locked down tight in Luz's horrifically biased and correct opinion.)

Her smile quickly broke back through and she offered Tony her hand gladly. "Luz Carrero Noceda, at your service! I am not shit with drums and will do just about anything in service of true love!" She said this last bit dramatically, one hand pressed to her heart and the other reaching for the sky as if she were about to bemoan for poor Yorick.

This was when one of the student librarians shushed her, giving Luz a nasty look. She ducked into herself and whispered "Sorry" before looking back to Tony sheepishly. "Um, all of that to say if you need help with drums, I'm your gal," she offered.

@foreverydinger

Waiting On A Song || Luny

[thegoodvvitch-luz]

Luz was still getting used to not just being tolerated. Despite her boundless optimism, there was always a little part of her that was braced for the moment she'd be shooed away by her elders or shunned by her peers. Usually first with a comment like "Aren't you the girl that let those snakes loose in Mrs. LeBuff's class?"

Like, the answer was 'yes', but there was context!

So when she was invited to the table instead, Luz smiled brightly. "Yeah, I'd love to!" she said joyfully, ignoring how she was on her way out just seconds before. Human interaction was also a great way to refuel during a study break!

"What kind of song is it?" she asked curiously. "I'm all thumbs at songwriting, myself. Lyrics, I've got! Trying to come up with a melody I didn't accidentally rip from a Maroon 5 song from the early 'aughts? Eeeh, a little harder."

@foreverydinger

Waiting On A Song || Luny

[halfawitch-willow]

Willow could tell the moment that Eilonwy covered them from view, though it didn't effect her own vision. Once she was sure Eilonwy was secure, she pulled up and lifted them into the air until they were about ten feet above the roofs of the houses around them.

She always felt most at home in the air, and for a moment she mourned that the first time she was taking Eilonwy flying was under such horrid circumstances. Then the regret was burned back away by anger and Willow tilted her broom towards the house Eilonwy had pointed out earlier. She circled the house a few times, checking for any kind of security system or anyone that might alert Annie to what they were doing. Once it was clear, she brought them down to the front of the house gently and landed with a near-silent crunch of snow.

She could feel the sleeping plants under the snow, complaining about the chill, and Willow reached her magic out into the soil. The plants murmured sleepily at her, curious, and Willow soothed them with a soft hum.

She pointed to the base of the house where there were no plants to crowd the muckweed and gave Eilonwy a thumbs up.

@eilonwy-notjustgirl @foreverydinger

❀ Malicious Gardening ❀ || Tony, Willow, & Eilonwy (Ft. Annie/Annie's House)

[thegoodvvitch-luz]

Luz had always heard music in the world. It hadn't been until very recently that she realized what it really was, that it was her way of tapping into the magic around and within her.

When she'd figured that out, she'd wanted to run into every specialist and child psychologists' office she'd ever been trapped in and point and laugh in her faces, but that was neither here nor there.

This of course meant that sometimes it took her a little while to realize when the music wasn't internal. She'd heard the drumming and thought that it might be someone's Determination or something. And then she'd gotten up from her library table to go get a much deserved Study Snack and realized that nope, the guy a couple of tables behind her was actually drumming on the table with a furrowed brow.

She drifted closer curiously, catching the beat and watching as he stopped, started, and restarted every couple of seconds. Her heel was tapping the floor like a metronome right up until he noticed her and she realized she'd been staring. Her cheeks flushed a bit in embarrassment, but at least it seemed shared.

"Oh, no worries!" she said with a smile. "Figuring out the drums?" she asked curiously. "That second to last one was really neat."

[outfit]

@foreverydinger

Waiting On A Song || Luny

[halfawitch-willow]

Willow listened to Tony closely, giving him a nod before looking at Eilonwy. "As hot as you can make it," Willow said. "They're used to boiling rain so they like their environment to be warm."

Willow knew, objectively, that the muckweed wasn't going to live for very long. It was the middle of winter and even Willow was finding it harder and harder to wake up as the temperatures dropped. But they would be a nuisance, and when spring came, Willow would be happy to plant them again if necessary. She'd figure out what to do to that other journalist once they had a chance to talk to Lucky.

"Wait until I give you the signal to start egging the door," Willow told Tony. "I'm going to need some time to coax them up due to the cold and the moment those eggs hit the house, time starts running out."

She slipped out the passenger's side and held her broom up to let the magic in it start to hum. She'd tied on a new power charm before leaving the dorm, not wanting to risk the broom loosing steam midway through. Willow swung her leg over and hung in the air confidently before holding out a hand towards Eilonwy. "I'll get us close so they don't hear us walking through the snow," she whispered.

@eilonwy-notjustgirl @foreverydinger

❀ Malicious Gardening ❀ || Tony, Willow, & Eilonwy (Ft. Annie/Annie's House)

[halfawitch-willow]

Willow Park was not a criminal. The threat of the Conformitorium was enough to keep her on the straight and narrow back on the Isles, and really, did she need to make her life any harder than it already was?

Willow was, however, familiar with bullies.

Willow was very, very tired of bullies.

So she sat in the backseat of Tony's car, dressed in black, seething. She had her broom laid across her lap and her packet of seeds in her hand, and she could already feel them responding to her wrath. They sung and wriggled in her hand, waiting to burst out at the first touch of magic. Ready to assist their mistress in her version of justice.

They still hadn't heard from Gabriella in the Court work chat. Willow didn't think they would.

"You should probably park a few houses away while Eilonwy and I do the planting," Willow said, leaning forward between the seats so she could speak to both of her co-conspirators. "Keep an eye out from there. And then when we're done, we'll hit 'em with the eggs."

@eilonwy-notjustgirl

❀ Malicious Gardening ❀ || Tony, Willow, & Eilonwy (Ft. Annie/Annie's House)